This book explores the concept of ‘dissent’ within the realm of art and cultural heritage through a rich and multidisciplinary lens. It investigates how dissent shapes the very definition of cultural heritage and the systems that govern cultural heritage, drawing primarily on social science perspectives. Combining methodologies from law and economics with insights from museology, art history, and postcolonial studies, the volume offers a unique perspective on how disagreement and contestat...

This book covers the integration of green-gray infrastructure and the development of climate-resilient cities. Climate change and urbanization are the principal global environmental challenges. Up to 70% of the world population is projected to live in cities by 2050. How will this rapid urbanization alter the face of the world? What are the environmental consequences of megacities’ expansion? What are smart solutions to make life in cities safe, comfortable and environmentally friendly? Th...

This specially curated collection features five reviews of current and key research on vertical farming in horticulture.The first chapter describes and evaluates technologies and methods for growing edible plants indoors and presents a survey of selected commercial vertical farms currently operating that employ them.The second chapter explores the benefits of plant factories with artificial lighting (PFALs). The chapter assesses resource consumption, costs ...

This book provides a compendium of material properties, demonstrates several successful examples of bio-based materials’ application in building facades, and offers ideas for new designs and novel solutions. It features a state-of-the-art review, addresses the latest trends in material selection, assembling systems, and innovative functions of facades in detail. Selected case studies on buildings from diverse locations are subsequently presented to demonstrate the successful implementation...

Waterproof and Water Repellent Textiles and Clothing provides systematic coverage of the key types of finishes and high performance materials, from conventional wax and silicone, through controversial, but widely used fluoropolymers and advanced techniques, such as atmospheric plasma deposition and sol-gel technology. The book is an essential resource for all those engaged in garment development, production and finishing, and for academics engaged in research into apparel technology and te...

This open access book offers a cross-sectoral reference for both managers and scientists interested in climate-smart forestry, focusing on mountain regions. It provides a comprehensive analysis on forest issues, facilitating the implementation of climate objectives. This book includes structured summaries of each chapter.Funded by the EU’s Horizon 2020 programme, CLIMO has brought together scientists and experts in continental and regional focus assessments through a cross-sectoral...

Availability of and adequate accessibility to freshwater and energy are two key technological and scientific problems of global significance. At the end of the 20th century, the deficit of water for human consumption and economic application forced us to focus on rational use of resources. Increasing the use of renewable energy sources and improving energy efficiency is a challenge for the 21st century. Geothermal energy is heat energy generated and stored in the Earth, accumulated in hydr...

Nature Based Strategies for Urban and Building Sustainability reviews the current state-of-the-art on the topic. In the introduction, the editors review the fundamental concepts of nature elements in the built environment, along with the strategies that are necessary for their inclusion in buildings and cities. Part One describes strategies for the urban environment, discussing urban ecosystems and ecosystem services, while Part Two covers strategies and technologies, including vertical gr...

Forests cover about a third of the world's land surface area. They represent a distinct biotic community, provide a living for many millions of people, and provide fresh water to sustain communities. Forests capture part of the precipitation and pass the remainder into the soil. Some of this is then passed back to the atmosphere along with some to streams as a regulated outflow. Forest cover is generally the preferred land-use for clean water supplies, recreation, tourism, and other ecosys...

Natural and constructed wetlands play a very important role on the landscape and their ecological services are highly valuable. In fact, some wetland types are regarded as one of the most valuable ecosystems on the Earth. Water management, including flood water retention, biomass production, carbon sequestration, wastewater treatment and biodiversity sources, are among the most important ecological services of wetlands. The book is aimed at the use of constructed wetlands ...

Explore the growing problem of soil salinity and sodicity and its impact on the environment, profitability, the human population, and soil resilienceIn Salinity and Sodicity: A Global Challenge to Food Security, Environmental Quality, and Soil Resilience, a team of distinguished educators delivers an expert discussion of salinity and sodicity management. This book is designed to improve the problem-solving capabilities of students, soil health professional...

This handbook provides a comprehensive overview of terrestrial ecohydrology, a rapidly evolving discipline focusing on the interactions of biota and water.Understanding these interactions is especially important given the pace and scale of environmental change, with climate warming, deforestation, land-use change, groundwater depletion, urbanization, and other human activities are fundamentally reshaping how water is partitioned among evaporation, transpiration, interception, infil...